Civil Service

Dr. Goodson-Wickes: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a
statement on the management of the home civil service.

The Prime Minister: The Government plan, in the light of the review
of the Treasury's activities, that those central civil service management
functions that remain after delegation to Departments should be transferred
to the Minister with responsibility for the civil service with effect from
1 April 1995. The functions which it proposes to transfer include
responsibility for senior civil service pay; policy on civil service
recruitment, retirement and

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redundancy and the central management of the
principal civil service pension scheme; and residual central
responsibilities for civil service personnel management, industrial
relations, conditions of service and allowances, and the collection of
civil service manpower statistics. It is envisaged that the Treasury will
undertake a last round of national pay negotiations in 1995 and carry
through the remaining delegations to Departments up to 1 April 1996. The
Treasury's pension benefit calculation work at Basingstoke will be taken
over by the Paymaster agency.

These changes, and the delegation of most civil service management
functions to Departments, will not affect the Treasury's role in relation
to public expenditure, including that on public sector pay. The Government
propose to lay before Parliament the necessary transfer of functions order
under the Ministers of the Crown Act 1975.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Energy Expenditure

Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home
Department what was the total expenditure on energy for each property owned
or leased by his Department for the use of Ministers in each of the last
three years for which figures are available.

Mr. Michael Howard: The expenditure on energy for the last three
years for which figures are available are as follows:

The figures for 1991 92 exclude the Fire Service college and the United
Kingdom Passport Agency as no information is available. Expenditure by
these agencies 1992 93 and 1993 94 averaged £353,000 and £297,000
per annum respectively.

Money Laundering

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department
what are the cash and staff resources of (a) the financial intelligence
unit and (b) the central authority for mutual assistance in criminal
matters; how many reports of suspected money laundering have been made to
each in each year since 1987; and how many (i) prosecutions, (ii)
convictions and (iii) seizures of arms and drugs have been made in each
year since 1987.

Mr. Maclean: The financial disclosures and money laundering section,
formerly the financial intelligence unit, of the National Criminal
Intelligence Service as 14 staff at a projected cost, including a common
services element, of £460,000 in 1994 95. The United Kingdom Central
Authority for Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters is a part of the Home
Office. It has 13 staff in post: estimated staff costs for 1994 95 are
£262,000. Figures for non-staff costs attributable to the central
authority are not readily available.

All disclosures of suspicious financial transactions under the money
laundering legislation are passed to the

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financial disclosures and money laundering
section. Figures for numbers of disclosures are as follows:

The available information on prosecutions and convictions relates to the
offence, in section 24 of the Drug Trafficking Offences Act 1986. of
assisting another to retain the proceeds of drug trafficking. The figures
are:

Statistics on firearms seizures are not recorded centrally and could be
obtained only at disproportionate cost. The most recent information on
drugs seizures is contained in Home Office statistical bulletin 30/93:
Statistics of Drugs Seizures and Offenders Dealt with, United Kingdom,
1992, a copy of which is in the Library. The figures, information for 1993
is not yet available, are:

Fly-posting and Litter Offences

Mr. Patnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department
how many prosecutions there have been for (a) fly-posting and (b) litter
offences for each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Maclean: Information held centrally cannot separately identify
offences of fly-posting from other summary offences under the Town and
Country Planning Act 1971.

Information for litter offences is given in the table below. 1994 data will
not be available until the autumn 1995.

North Wales Police Authority

Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home
Department if he will grant extra funds to the North Wales police authority
to enable it to fund its national DNA database; and if he will make a
statement.

Mr. Maclean: The costs and benefits to the police of the DNA
database have been taken fully into account in our assessment of future
police spending requirements. It will be for chief constables to decide
what use to make of the DNA database service on the balances as they see
it, of those costs and benefits.

Animal Experimentation

Mr. Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department
how much funding was spent by his Department on researching alternatives to
animal experiments for each of the last 10 years.

Police Duties

Mr. Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department
how many hours annually, on average, a police constable spends (a) on
operational duties and (b) undergoing training in England and Wales as a
whole and in each individual police force.

Mr. Maclean: I regret that information on time spent on operational
duties is not available. In 1991 92, the latest year for which figures are
available, police constables in England and Wales spent, on average, 14.8
days in training. The figures for individual forces are as follows:

Security Service Tribunal

Sir Ivan Lawrence: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home
Department if he will make a statement about the appointment of the members
of the security service tribunal.

Mr. Howard: Her Majesty has been pleased to re-appoint Lord Justice
Simon Brown, Sheriff John McInnes and Sir Richard Gaskell as, respectively,
president, vice-president and member of the security service tribunal for
five years with effect from 18 December.

Animal Transportation

Mr. Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department
what requests his Department has made to the companies involved in
exporting live animals from Millbay docks in Plymouth to contribute towards
the policing costs.

Mr. Maclean [holding answer 15 December 1994]: None. This is
a matter for the police authority.

The disorder is caused by those seeking to blockade and disrupt the docks
not by exporters carrying out a lawful activity.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Independent Commissioner for the Holding Centres

Mr. Matthew Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern
Ireland if he will amend the terms of reference for the independent
commissioner for the holding centres to permit the commissioner to be
present at interviews with terrorist suspects in the police offices.

Sir John Wheeler: Following discussions with the Royal Ulster
Constabulary, I have today placed in the Library of the House revised terms
of reference for the Independent Commissioner for the Holding Centres to

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permit him to be present at interviews with
terrorist suspects in the police offices, subject to certain caveats agreed
both by the Commissioner and the RUC.

This represents a very positive response to Sir Louis Blom-Cooper's
comments in his first annual report which reflect his view that, to sustain
its credibility, such a right must be vested in the post.

Credit Unions

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how
many credit unions were operating in Northern Ireland in 1980, 1990 and in
each year since.

Mr. Ancram: In 1980 there were 94 credit unions operating in
Northern Ireland. By 1990 this figure had increased to 124 and the number
in subsequent years are shown below:

HEALTH

GP Fundholding

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what
assessment she has made of the adequacy of the accounting supervision of
fundholding general practitioner practices.

Mr. Malone: General practitioner fundholders are required to produce
accounts in accordance with the general practitioners fundholders' manual
of accounts. These accounts are independently certified by auditors
appointed by the Audit Commission. A copy of the general practice
fundholders' manual of accounts is available in the Library.

Alzheimer's Disease

Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her
estimate of the number of sufferers from Alzheimer's disease, and the
proportion of these residing without any family carer.

Mr. Bowis: It is estimated that some 5 per cent. of the population
aged 65 and over suffer from dementia and over half of these suffer from
Alzheimer's disease. We do not collect information about the proportion who
reside without any family carer.

Blood

Mr. Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will
list the studies undertaken into the National Blood Authority which led to
the conclusion that five regional transfusion centres should be closed.

Mr. Sackville: Part of the remit given to the National Blood
Authority on its establishment was to provide a strategy to secure an
adequate and cost-effective supply of blood and blood products to meet
national needs. A

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review of the blood service was therefore
undertaken by the authority.

Elderly People

Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what
specific steps she is taking to improve the equity of medical care,
following the report of the Royal College of Physicians, entitled "Ensuring
Equity and Quality of Care for Elderly People"; and if she will make a
statement;

(2) what specific steps she is taking to ensure a wider knowledge among
hospital specialists of the special needs of elderly people with particular
reference to those aspects where the development of multiple pathology and
poly-pharmacy are relevant; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Bowis: We welcomed the publication of the report as an incentive
to improved accessibility and quality of service for elderly people. Aimed
primarily at professionals and managers in the sector, it emphasises the
need to meet both the acute health care needs of older patients and any
special needs arising from the ageing process, with appropriate liaison
between specialists. We have cited the report in our priorities and
planning guidance for the NHS for 1995 96.

We have repeatedly stressed that the national health service must be open
to people of all ages on the basis of clinical need. Since the publication
of the Royal College of Physicians' report in May we have met with the
British Geriatrics Society to discuss the issues it raises, and other
matters relevant to the health of elderly people, and a further meeting is
planned at official level. The chief medical officer proposes to host a
seminar next spring for senior members of the medical profession to discuss
the education and training of all doctors and medical students in the
treatment and care of elderly people. In addition, the Department is
represented on a Royal College of Physicians working group updating its
1984 publication "Medication for the elderly", which will provide useful
guidance to the field in this area.

Respite Care

Mr. Dafydd Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which
Department of State has primary responsibility for the development of
respite care services.

Mr. Bowis: In England, policy on respite care provided as part of
community care services, and that which is provided as part of services for
children and their families under part III of the Children Act 1989, is the
responsibility of my Department. It is the responsibility of local
authorities and health authorities to plan, develop and arrange provision
of respite care.

NHS Trusts (Termination Payments)

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health,
pursuant to her answer of 9 December, Official Report , columns 394 95 ,
how many of the sample of 18 termination payments failed to comply in every
respect with departmental guidance as set out in TEL (94)2.

Mr. Malone: National health service trusts have powers under
schedule 2 of the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 to
make compensation to, or in respect, of any of the trust's employees who
suffer loss of office. They have to exercise these powers within

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the usual disciplines of public spending.
The guidance in TEL(94)3 is advisory.

Of the 18 payments sampled, the NHS executive is seeking further
information on eight. Of the other 10 cases, where the payments relate to
the termination settlements on which TEL(94)3 provides advice the amounts
paid are consistent with that advice.

Executive Search Agencies

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what use her
Department has made of executive search agencies in filling vacancies
within her Department and executive agencies administered by her Department
during the last year; and how much these services have cost her Department.

Mr. Sackville: Neither the Department nor its executive agencies
have used executive search agencies to fill vacancies during the past year.

NHS Supplies

Mr. Cran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the study
produced for her in 1993 by PE Consultants assessed the difference in
projected savings and efficiency increases likely to arise from integrated
facility management of the entire NHS supplies authority function as
against separate market testing of some NHSSA functions with private sector
contractors co-ordinated by the existing NHSSA management; and whether she
will commission independent research to assess which supplies model will
deliver best service and value for money to the NHS.

Mr. Sackville: No. The study concluded that some of the functions of
the national health service supplies authority should be contracted out to
make best use of private sector skills and experience; and some functions
needed to be rationalised at lower cost to match the standard of commercial
best practice elsewhere. The NHS supplies authority has been charged to
deliver programmes of market testing and rationalisation in the areas of
logistics, information management, purchasing, and customer services, while
maintaining continuity of services to all NHS customers. It is also
required to match commercial best practice standards by April 1997. Their
progress towards these targets is reviewed each year, and progress to date
has been encouraging. NHS supplies has also been invited to work in co-
operation with the NHS trust federation to identify ways to improve NHS
supplies organisation, operation and accountability. This joint work is at
an early stage. The National Audit Office will also be reporting in the
first half of 1995 on its study of NHS supplies progress since the earlier
NAO study of 1991.

Lindane

Mr. Gunnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what
discussions she has had with the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and
Food regarding the use by farmers of substances containing lindane.

Mr. Sackville: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon.
Member for Bristol, East (Ms Corston) on 15 December, Official Report ,
columns 777 78 .

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NHS Trusts

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how
many termination payments have been made by NHS trusts to chief executives
and senior managers in 1991 92 and 1992 93; and what is the total amount
for each trust in each year specified.

Mr. Malone: This information is not available centrally.

Burnley Healthcare NHS Trust

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if
she will re-consider her decision not to hold an independent inquiry into
recent events at Burnley Healthcare NHS trust following the publication of
the report into the dismissal of Mr. Ian Mahady; (2) what consideration she
has given to the report on Mr. Ian Mahady published by Burnley Healthcare
NHS trust.

Mr. Malone: The inquiry report is a matter for the trust, which is
responsible for its own management and employment arrangements.

NHS Administrative Costs

Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what were the
administrative costs incurred by (a) NHS purchasers and (b) NHS providers
in each region in each year since 1990 91.

Mr. Malone [holding answer 12 December 1994]: The available
information is shown in the table.

National Health Service administration costs 1990-91 to
1993-94
by region
Region |1990-91|1991-92|1992-93|1993-94
|£000 |£000 |£000 |£000
----------------------------------------------------------
Northern |55,616 |50,937 |59,823 |76,960
Yorkshire |68,132 |92,103 |81,582 |93,049
Trent |63,721 |59,074 |73,182 |94,392
East Anglian |35,794 |29,092 |33,480 |33,480
North West Thames |69,479 |54,863 |72,817 |100,782
North East Thames |77,782 |80,638 |74,529 |105,158
South East Thames |79,057 |53,584 |61,593 |65,095
South West Thames |58,615 |46,714 |56,592 |66,940
Wessex |48,991 |57,543 |64,525 |76,559
Oxford |38,008 |50,786 |58,273 |76,138
South Western |52,174 |36,372 |41,372 |51,171
West Midlands |91,970 |66,079 |82,139 |88,757
Mersey |37,847 |47,844 |58,136 |46,341
North Western |77,384 |49,775 |58,574 |70,262
Source:
Annual accounts of Regional and District Health
Authorities, Family Practitioner Committees and Family
Health Services Authorities.
Notes:
1. The above figures represent the total revenue
expenditure on the pay and accommodation costs of staff
of all disciplines and their support staff employed at
headquarters levels in Regional Health Authorities (RHAs),
District Health Authorities (DHAs) and Family
Practitioner Committees (FPCs)/Family Health Services
Authorities (FHSAs). They exclude administrative support
in hospital departments and at other local levels which
is regarded as operational expenditure.
2. RHA and DHA costs are those reported in the accounts
as "Authority administration and purchasing expenses".
This includes capital charges after 1991-92. FPC/FHSA
administration costs are those reported in the annual
accounts as revenue administration costs and represent
that part of total expenditure which is not medical,
dental, ophthalmic or pharmaceutical.
3. Changes over the years in the roles and
responsibilities of FPCs (which became Family Health
Services Authorities in 1990), RHAs and DHAs (which
started to transfer provider functions to NHS trusts in
1991-1992), together with changes in accounting policies (
particularly the inclusion of capital charges in Health
Authorities' administration and purchasing expenditure)
mean that the figures are not comparable. Additionally,
there were differences in management practices and
geographical size between regions and the numbers of DHAs,
FPCs and FHSAs within regions.
4. The figures for 1993-94 are provisional.

SOCIAL SECURITY

Jobseeker's Allowance

Mr. Dewar: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what
protection there will be, under the more stringent tests of availability
for work under the arrangements for the new jobseeker's allowance, for
claimants who have been deemed capable of work for the purpose of
incapacity benefit but whose handicaps may genuinely restrict their
availability for work.

Miss Widdecombe: I have been asked to reply.

A decision in incapacity benefit that a person is capable of work will
apply for all other benefits. In our proposals for the introduction of the
jobseeker's allowance we recognise, as now, that some people with
disabilities may have difficulties in making themselves available for the
full range of employment opportunities. They will, therefore, be able to
restrict their availability to the type or hours of work they are able to
undertake within the limits of their physical or mental condition.

Cold Weather Payments

Mr. Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how
many cold weather payments were made and what were the total amounts set
out by area for each year since 1983.

Mr. Roger Evans: The administration of the cold weather payments
scheme is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the
Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Michael Bichard to John Battle, dated 15 December 1994:

The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your
recent Parliamentary Question about Cold Weather Payments. Social Fund Cold
Weather Payments were introduced in April 1988. For the years 1988/89 and
1989/90 the information you have requested is in the Statistical Holdings
section of the Library.

From 1990/91 to 1993/94 the information is not held in the format you
requested. It is, however, available in the Library broken down by Benefit
Office for 1990/91 to 1992/93 and by District Office for 1993/94.

Prior to the introduction of the Social Fund, payments for cold weather
were made at local management discretion under Regulation 26 of the Single
Payments Regulations. Information by area is not held and the table below
shows the total number of payments nationally in this period and the cost.

Mortgage Interest Payments

Mr. Dewar: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if the
proposals for reducing the level of support for mortgage interest payments
under income support require primary legislation.

Mr. Roger Evans: Secondary legislation only is required to amend the
rules providing assistance with mortgage interest in income support.

Mr. Dewar: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what
savings he expects in a full year as a result of the proposed withdrawal of
mortgage interest payments by his Department (a) in the first two months on
income support and (b) at 50 per cent. for a further four months.

Mr. Roger Evans: These two proposals to withdraw mortgage interest
payments in the first two months on income support and pay at 50 per cent.
for a further four

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months will be the subject to wide
consultation. The financial effect will depend on the outcome of this
consultation and the final detail of the scheme.

Housing Benefit

Mr. Dewar: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security,
pursuant to his oral statement of 30 November, Official Report, columns
1205 8, what savings he expects over three years in respect of housing
benefit; and what multiplier he used in calculating it.

Mr. Roger Evans: The savings to housing benefit from the restriction
on benefit for rents above the average, the increase in non-dependent
deductions and the restriction on HB claimants temporarily absent from home
are estimated to amount to around £360 million, rounded to the nearest
£10 million, over the three financial years from April 1995.

There is no one multiplier used to calculate the savings over three years.
Estimation of the build up of savings is specific to each of the policies
considered, and depends on a number of factors including estimates of
forecast caseload and average rents.

Mr. Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he
will list the major changes in housing benefit since it was introduced
identifying: (a) the numbers of gainers and losers and (b) the costs and
savings of each measure.

Mr. Roger Evans [holding answer 5 December 1994]: The
information requested is in the table.

Column 835

|Cost |Saving
Major change |Date of change |Gainers |Losers |£ million |£ million
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsibility for the housing costs of boarders/hostel dwellers
transferred from Income Support to Housing Benefit |April-October 1989 |110,000 |- |489 |-
Capital limit doubled to £16,000 |April 1990 |50,000 |- |62 |-
Disengagement of students from Housing Benefit |September 1990 |- |- |- |28
Housing Benefit subsidy reduced by 2 per cent.<3> |April 1991 |- |- |- |46
Restrict access to Housing Benefit by persons from abroad and other persons<4> |April and August 1994|- |22,000 |- |40
Notes:
Figures on gainers and losers are the estimated figures for the financial year in which each change occurred.
Estimated costs/savings are at 1994-95 prices, except for the "disengagement of students" which is at 1990-91 (because the Department no longer collects data on students' incomes and rent levels).
<1> Housing Benefit gainers/costs were offset by losers/savings in Income Support.
<2> No figures on gainers/losers are available. The changes to Housing Benefit were made as part of an overall package of measures for full-time students and included the introduction of student loans and
Access Funds. The overall increase in expenditure on students was over £100 million at the point of change.
<3> No information is available on the number of persons affected by the change to local authority subsidy arrangements.
<4> Three tests were introduced in 1994-the immigration status test in April 1994, and the habitual residence and Rights of Residence Directives tests in August 1994.

Mr. Roger Evans: There are no plans to do so. Recovery of overpaid
housing benefit can be sought from a landlord where payment of such benefit
has been made direct. In such circumstances, the local authority will still
exercise judgement when deciding whether to pursue recovery in this way.
Guidance issued to local authorities by this Department provides for
authorities to make clear

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to landlords when offering the opportunity
of receiving housing benefit direct, that they may become liable for any
overpayment which may occur.

Ministerial Travel (Spouses)

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he
will list the duration of the trips, undertaken by Ministers in his
Department on which they were accompanied by their spouses and paid for at
public expense, which was referred to in his answer of 26 October, Official
Report , column 706 .

Column 837

Mr. Hague: The trip lasted three days.

Public Bodies

Dr. Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security which
of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department
(i) hold open meetings, (ii) conduct public consultation exercises, (iii)
conduct consultation exercises with outside commercial interests, (iv)
publish a register of members' interests (v) publish agendas for meetings
and (vi) publish the minutes of meetings; and whether this is in each case
(a) under a statutory requirement or (b) voluntary.

Mr. Hague: The information requested is as follows:

(i) None.

(ii) The Social Security Advisory Committee and the Industrial Injuries
Advisory Council.